This is a guest post by Courtney Lopez from Utility Hacker.
FEW THINGS WEAR DOWN your savings like the never-ending routine of monthly utility bills. Those include energy bills, water bills and natural gas bills. If it keeps your house warm or cool, provides water or removes waste, it probably costs you money each month.
If we relate, renting an apartment over owning a home can often mean you have less control over your environment. When we talk about savings specifically related to Energy, there are a lot of methods you can adopt in order to minimize the amount of money you spend on utility costs each month.
It’s common for a lot of families to receive $300, $400, and sometimes even $500 in utility bills each month. When you are tight on budget, it can cause un-necessary stress and worry. After paying these kinds of utility bills for years, you start to realize that these bills can very easily strain your income department.
Every little plus you can get when it comes to dropping those monthly utility costs means more money at the end of the month in your checking account. The best part is that there are many active ways to lean your utility bills by doing a one-time task that lowers those bills.
Now the question is that how one can take necessary measures to overcome these bills. Here are some ways you can instantly decrease your utility bill manageably and successfully.
Consider Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Switching to LED bulbs can be one of the smartest moves to reduce energy costs. According to EnergyStar.gov, Energy Star-certified light bulbs save almost 70% to 90% more than outdated incandescent light bulbs.
Start with your often-used fixtures. You’ll be surprised to know the long life of LED bulbs as compared to old ones once you’ve made the switch.
Do you know that traditional incandescent light bulbs have an average lifetime of 750 to 1,000 hours, whereas LED bulbs have an average lifetime of up to 50,000 hours?
Now is the time if someone wants to switch to LED bulbs. That equals a lot of savings!
If you’re not into fluorescent lights (or CFLs), there’s good news. Many LEDs come in shades of color that look just like the old incandescent bulbs.
If you’re constantly following family members from room to room, turning off lights behind them, you need to update.
Another good solution is the use of motion detectors. Now what they do is that they only turn on when they sense that someone is in the room, otherwise they remain off.
We recommend you try different kinds of lights and find the perfect one to goes with your surroundings.
Switch To A Programmable Thermostat
If you don’t have a programmable thermostat in your apartment and you are paying for gas or electric utilities then consider talking to your landlord about it. After having it, you will be able to set a temperature and won’t need to change it again and again.
If you do not have a programmable thermostat then you can set reminders on your phone to remind you when you want to change the settings.
According to Energy.gov, you can have annual savings of up to 1 percent per 8-hour period for each degree you turn down your thermostat.
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, if you switch to a programmable thermostat you can save up to 10 percent on cooling and heating costs.
Changing the simple thermostat to programmable thermostat is a bit complex, but it’s not extremely difficult. Every thermostat comes with detailed instructions so you won’t lose.
Here are some more tips, if your house is empty during the day, set the temperature to drop much further in the winter months and higher in the summer months while you’re away. Before you get home, it can be programmed to return to desired temperature.
It will be a smarter move to just invest little amount to reduce your energy bill. Meanwhile if you consider a programmable thermostat, always keep an eye on your present thermostat’s location. It could be on the wrong wall. Direct sunlight and other impacts can trigger your AC to start when it doesn’t need to.
Optimize Your Windows Covering
Depending on the season, there are some ways that can help you control the temperature of your apartment.
In the summer, you can help reduce the burden of your cooling system by keeping the blinds closed until you get home at night. By turning off the blinds or adding a heavy curtain, you can limit the amount of sunlight that can enter your house, thus helping to reduce the amount of heat the sun can cause within your living space.
In the winter, during a sunny day the work is done for you after letting your blinds open. This way you can warm your space naturally throughout the day. This is a great way to reduce your expenses.
The clear window film works directly on your windows pane so you’ll get the benefit and be comfortable. This is inexpensive and easy to use and easy to remove and does not cause damage to your windows.
Feel the edges of each window and see if you can detect any air leaks, which are spots where you can feel warmer on a hot or colder on a cold day. Those spots are a leaking force.
Caulking and Weather-stripping are simple and inexpensive ways to reduce energy bills. This is because you allow the outside air directly into your home through the cracks around the doors and windows, which makes your heating or cooling system work harder to keep the room in decent condition.
Home heating can reduce the cost of heating and cooling by 20% according to statistics from Alliance to Save Energy.
Final Verdict
When it comes to saving money on your expenses think about the things in your home that use water and energy. Washer, washing machine, and water heater are three major things you might want to consider replacing with more water-efficient models.
Also, remember that your use of air conditioning and heater is a very game-changing factor when it comes to your finances. If you change the temperature slightly in the warmer months and decrease slightly in the colder months, you will save hundreds of dollars a year.
You can integrate your winter coat and be comfortable in your home, all while minimizing your spending bill. All you have to do is reduce the use of wasteful energy consumption, such as letting the heat out through air leaks and leaving the lights on in empty rooms.
If you cannot pay for the bills then talk to your supplier, they can help you work out exactly what you owe and might be able to work out a repayment scheme.
Consumer reports claims that you can save up to $75 per year only by setting your computer on standby, and even more if you shut off the entire power strip every night. So, start shaving your money off your utility bills by following the above mentioned steps.
About The Author
Courtney Lopez is a utility bill audit consultant with over 10 years of experience. She run the Utility Hacker blog. You can find Utility Hacker on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube or Pinterest.
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